Friday, November 19, 2010

Friday, November 19th, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum



















Greetings!

With Aubrey Middenhall as a guide at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, we were bound to have a good time.  Four years into his volunteering there, he's exactly the kind of guide they should have.  Excited about  each tidbit of knowledge he provides, eager to get your responses and new information, and always looking for new ways to bring the desert's conditions alive for you to grasp.  Pat and I enjoyed his company very much this morning, and I found so much more to see and understand because of him.

After the tour, we were invited to the collector's room, where we salivated over five baskets (only $3900 for the set) that we being made ready for their next season's offerings.  The Gallery manager, Nancy McGaffin, explained that the recent tensions in northern Mexico have made it even harder to obtain materials like the Noe Quesada pot we decided to buy from the village of Mata Ortiz.  As usual, we'll now have to figure out where in the house to put it.

Returning home, I was pleased to have an email from my hatmaking friend, S. Grant Sergot, of Optimo Hatworks in Bisbee, Arizona.  He asked that I make sure to take a photo of myself in my new hat, and send it to him for his website.  Here are the two I sent him.

I can't decide which photo reveals me clearest, and that's probably because my personality is effected by the wearing of it.  You can't help but be aware of the impact it can make on your appearance.

And here is a link to the photos I took today: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Gregory

Thursday, Nov 18th, Bisbee, Arizona


Greetings!

We drove from Tucson to Bisbee today,  a town Pat mistook for another place we’ve once visited.  We’re glad we went, however, as I got a new hat that Pat bought for me.   But more on that later.

The drive there took us past Tombstone, and I was looking forward to stopping.  As we approached the town, I imagined I was riding a horse, and perhaps had just come off  a cattle drive.  I could see the town from a few miles away, as it sits on the side of a hill, in front of some very large mountains.  On entering the town, the first sign we saw let us know we’d just passed the Cemetery.  Then, a large sign advertized daily reenactments of the shootout at the OK Corral.  Since it was past noon, I wondered if we’d missed the show.  Soon, every highway restaurant and hotel we saw bore the name of one or more of the characters in every western I’ve ever seen.   Just after a curve in the road, and an abandoned motel,  I saw to my right a street with wooden buildings extending over a small hill.   In a split second, I decided to stay with my imagined Tombstone town, and pass on the possibility that reality would spoil what childhood memories I still have.

We reached Bisbee, now properly named Old Bisbee, and founded a couple of years after Tombstone (1880).  Some army scouts had been chasing a Native American up a canyon, and decided to make camp at a stream.  The sides of the canyon sparkled too much to ignore, and soon mining claims were being filed.  For the next hundred years, technology and American consumerism drove entrepreneurs to pursue copper via underground shafts and drilling, and lately from open pit mining.  This area of Arizona has provided the largest single concentration of copper in the U.S. ($5 bilion worth in 2007), and positions the U.S. as the third largest producer in the world (after Chile and Peru). 

The Museum in Old Bisbee is located appropriately at the home office of the Phelps Dodge Corporation, owners of the largest copper mine in the area, and I was happy to see that a corner of it is dedicated to storing and cataloging all of the records anyone can find from the town and its surrounding territory.  Dr. Harvey Lovett, 90, sat in a corner chair , and told me of the work he and his volunteers have been doing for decades.  I asked him about his current project, digitizing a wall of three-ring binders of photographs of the town.  “The hard part is trying to write what to call the photographs.  Anyone can probably tell it’s a photo of the main street.  The trick is to know it’s a picture of the Oriental Saloon, and what year it was taken by the condition of the building.  It takes someone old to do that, and I guess I’m qualified.”  I asked him how long before he had the photo collection finished.  He said about a year, a lot quicker than it took him to digitize the 20,000 headstones in the local cemetery.

By the way, Old Bisbee's Gay Pride Days is considered one of the top five rural gay pride days by gay.com, and has its own website (http://www.bisbeepride.com). The 2008 Bisbee Gay Pride celebrations included a Leather and Lace Street Party, poolside BBQ, a lingerie pub crawl, the Bert Lundy Dance Party, and a turn-of-the-century ball.[8] Ten U.S. AIDS Memorial Quilt panels were on display at Bisbee's famed Copper Queen Hotel.[9]The Bisbee 1000 Stair Climb is a five kilometer run through Bisbee that goes up and down 1,034 stairs. Because much of Old Bisbee is built in the hills of the Mule Mountains, many of the houses can’t be reached by car. Billed as "The most unique physical fitness challenge in the USA!" by the organizers,[11] it includes being serenaded by musicians at various locations among the stairs. The event has grown to include the Ice Man Competition, designed to honor the history of men delivering blocks of ice by hand before the advent of refrigeration. In the Ice Man Competition, entrants race up 155 steps carrying a ten-pound block of ice with antique ice tongs.












But the most fun we had was spending time with S. Grant Sergot, whose been called the best hatmaker alive.  In a Victorian style storefront at 47 Main Street, his salon (Óptimo Hatworks) is a showcase of original panama, and hand-formed and finished fur-felt hats.  One of the true artists in hat-making, Sergot works in both contemporary and period fashions, and cleans, re-blocks, and restores important antique hats. 

When we arrived, he was interviewing Karl, a young man from Los Angeles.  Karl had inherited his grandfather’s collection of hats, and had brought over a couple to see what could be done to restore them.  We listened attentively as Grant examined each, and instructed Karl in their proper cleaning, storage, and use.  He measured Karl’s head with an ancient metal hat-like tool which seemed more designed for a phrenology examination.   While I took some photos, Pat spotted a felt hat at the top of several rows of hats on display.  When Karl’s lessons and fitting had reached a pause, she indicated we were interested in it.  Grant and I talked about hat styles, top and brim sizes, and about fur and the variety of animal hairs which could be used.  We measured and tried on several, and concluded that I was a 7 ¼+ hat size, and that rabbit with a standard band would suit Pat’s checkbook.  At that, we’ve bought suits for less.  But it’s worth every penny.  As an heirloom sculpture, if cared for well (included were at least 30 minutes of grooming, handling, and storage instruction), it will become an important addition to our collection of art.  And the name of S. Grant Sergot, and Óptimo Hatworks, will be on our lips as the source for the highest quality hatwear.

Here's a link to the photo I took today:  Bisbee, Arizona

Gregory

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Wednesday, Nov 17th, Biosphere2 and Mt. Lemon



















Greetings!

Like most environmentalists over 40, I remember the Biosphere2 experiment.  Take eight scientists who want to live in a self-contained, giant geodesic structure in the desert, growing their own food in an ark-like world, and see how long they can last.  Answer = two years and 20 minutes.

Today we visited Biosphere2 near Oracle, Arizona.  First, it's bigger than I thought it was.  And it had a Texas billionaire hippy with an interest in theater and a hope for environmental spinoff products financing it ($250 million).  But it did nurture lots of ideas, and brilliant minds, and fascinating questions. It's gone through some changes of use, and management, since its heyday in the early 1990's.  Columbia University owned it for a while, Motorola used it for an executive retreat to mellow out anti-social executives ("the Charm School").

Currently, it's being operated under a 10-year lease to the University of Arizona.  The billionaire who built it (Ed Bass, of the Texas oil billionaire brothers), finally sold it in 2007 to some local developers for $50 million.  They've submitted plans to build 1,500 homes around it (CDO Ranches and Development Company).  But it's being used for some noble experiments on the impact of rain on hill slopes, plants, and soil conditions.  There is also serious drought studies following up on global warming being done.   And guess who's still paying for most of this? (Ed Bass).  Jane Poynter, one of the original biospherists, wrote a book on their experience, titled "The Human Experiment: Two Years and Twenty Minutes Inside Biosphere2".  In it, she says she thinks Ed always had a heart of gold, and never did make any money on his Biosphere2 adventures.

After leaving Biosphere2, we decided (on the advise of some friends) to take the road from Oracle to the top of Mount Lemon.  It looked like a road on the map, and had a glimmer of actual pavement for part of the way.  It turned out to be an ascending hell (2,000 feet to 8,000 summit) of the worst boulder pocketed, twisting road I ever driven.  The pavement was from the top back down to Tucson, a beautiful drive in the sunset which was probably what our friends were recommending.  I am so glad the Touareg can be elevated so we could get over the rocks, has the power and agility to climb such steep grades and hang on narrow turns, and even more thankful the tires withstood the sharp rock edges.    This is one backroad adventure Pat and I will remember for a long time.  Thanks, Steve!

And here's a link to all of the photos I took today: Biosphere2

Gregory


Here's the more detailed background from Flatrock.org (All there is and then some).  Thanks much to Ruth, Cody, Jeff and Wolf.













Home Developer Buys Biosphere 2, Its Adjacent 1,650 Acres

Biosphere 2 originally was created as an experiment in enclosed self-sufficiency.
Its unusual structures remain a tourist destination today.
by Eric Swedlund
Twenty years after Biosphere 2 broke ground near Oracle, the one-of-a-kind terrarium and its surrounding land have been sold for $50 million.  Development of 1,500 new homes and a resort hotel on the land has already been approved.  Announced Monday, the sale price is just a quarter of the $200 million construction cost of the 3.15-acre miniworld, which drew global attention in 1991 when 8 people were sealed inside to conduct a 2-year experiment in self-sufficiency.
The 1,658-acre sale was announced by Jerry A Hawkins, vice president of CB Richard Ellis Tucson, who negotiated on behalf of purchaser CDO Ranching & Development, LP.  The company's partners include Tucson developer Peter G Backus and Martin C Bowen, who was vice president of Biosphere seller Decisions Investment Corporation.  The property was formally put up for sale in early 2005 and last year was under contract by local developer Fairfield Homes, but that deal was called off by mutual agreement.  Along the way, the University of Arizona began eyeing the facility as a laboratory for large-scale climate experiments, and last year the university was negotiating to acquire the Biosphere 2 as part of the sale.  The UA is still negotiating, now with hopes of leasing the terrarium, said Joaquin Ruiz, dean of the College of Science.
The CDO Ranch development has already been approved for more than 1,500 homes, a resort hotel and commercial uses, with lot availability projected for mid-2009, Hawkins said.  Pinal County Supervisor Lionel Ruiz, whose district includes the Biosphere 2 land, said the development will be good for the area but must be approached cautiously and be well-planned.  "I don't want to see just a whole bunch of rooftops from Tucson all the way to Oracle," he said.  "We want to see sustained communities and some open spaces and wildlife corridors.  Like anything else, if they come in with proper plans, it'll make it a plus."  Ruiz said the development could be an economic boon to the southern part of Pinal County, which has a shortage of medical care available and a struggling economic base dependent on mining.  "What I see it bringing to the county is services and jobs," he said.  "It's going to be very unique, and it's going to be a plus for the area, especially if it's going to be a destination."  He also supports the UA taking over the Biosphere 2 and maintaining it as a laboratory.
The terrarium's future is also on the mind of Texas billionaire Ed Bass, co-founder and now-former owner of Biosphere 2, whose only comment Monday came in a short statement relayed from his spokeswoman Terrell Lamb.  "I am hopeful that CDO will have success in attracting significant institutional participation in Biosphere 2 for research and educational purposes," Bass said.  The announcement of the purchase said the "Biosphere 2 facility will continue to remain open to visitors for tours," and said there will be continued educational and research uses, but made no mention of specific research or any potential leases of the facility.
Attempts to reach Backus and Bowen were unsuccessful late Monday and when reached at home after business hours, Hawkins declined to comment further.
The original Biosphere 2 experiment was widely criticised after a crew member was sent for medical attention 13 days after being sealed in and later air was pumped into the facility.  Columbia University began managing Biosphere 2 as a research laboratory in 1996 but ended its involvement in 2003.
Source: azstarnet.com Arizona Daily Star 5 June 2007 photo source: Jim Davis / Arizona Daily Star 2003

Biosphere 2 Saved from Developer's Bulldozers

The state-of-the-art Biosphere 2 campus is located in the foothills of the Catalina Mountains, 35 miles from the UA campus.
UA will manage and operate the controlled-environment facility itself, along with three conference rooms that can seat
from 40 to 120 participants, a suite of 36 dual-occupancy offices, and modern housing facilities in a "village"
of 28 furnished 3- to 5-bedroom casitas with fully equipped kitchens. The campus is fully networked.
by Michael Reilly
Biosphere 2, the world’s largest, quirkiest monument to modern science will be preserved as a unique environmental laboratory for at least 3 years, the University of Arizona, US, announced.  A sale earlier in June put the 3.14-acre site in the hands of residential developers, leading to fears the facility would be bulldozed.  But the university has now leased the property for scientific research with the aid of gifts and grants, and funds permitting, will try to extend the lease for 10 years.  Nestled in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson, Arizona, the great glass greenhouse was built 20 years ago by Space Biosphere Ventures as an artificial closed ecological system.  When, in 1991, eight people were sealed inside, it was hailed as a dry run for building a colony on Mars.  But 2 years later, when the same 8 emerged emaciated from poor diets and embittered by infighting, critics were quick to call the project a failure.
Columbia University took over managing the facility from 1996 until 2003, and turned it into a massive laboratory, where researchers built huge models of ecosystems found in the natural world, from a forest of cottonwood trees to a desert and coral reef.  Because of its size, Biosphere 2 allowed researchers to bridge the gap between smaller traditional laboratories and the outside world, over which they have little control.  Under the glass they could tweak CO2 levels and play with annual rainfall, then watch how the plants and animals responded.
Travis Huxman and colleagues at the University of Arizona hope to follow the Columbia researchers' work.  They plan to use the unique lab setting to examine the role that plants play in the water cycle of savannah grassland and scrub brush ecosystems - both of which are found in the deserts in the southwest US.  "We will be looking at the problem of vegetation change.  When an ecosystem changes from grassland to woody shrubs, it affects the water and carbon cycle," Huxman says.  As much as 1/3 of the world’s landmass is covered by savannah and scrub and it is important to know how shifts between the two can affect the availability of water.  The findings should also provide valuable data to build into climate models that predict how the planet will respond to global warming.
Jane Poynter, a member of the original 1991 crew of 8 and president of Paragon Space Development Corporation, says that the university may also be considering research into astrobiology, reviving the extraterrestrial aspirations that built Biosphere 2.  "I think the new research is going back to the roots of what we were trying to do originally," Poynter says.  "So I’m very excited about it."
Source: environment.newscientist.com 27 June 2007

Arizona Starts Research Initiative At Biosphere 2

[Excerpt]
"The generous gift from the Philecology Foundation, founded by Edward P Bass, substantially expands the University's ability to link teaching, scholarship and creativity to the needs of Arizona and our larger global community," President Robert Shelton said.  "Biosphere 2 will provide our faculty and students exceptional opportunities to address major environmental challenges facing Arizona and the Southwest such as global climate change, sustainability of water resources and land-use change.  UA excels at the collaborative, multidisciplinary approach these global scientific issues require."...
The controlled-environment facility, 3.14 acres (1.27 hectares) in area, is sealed from the earth below by a 500-ton (453,600 kg) welded stainless steel liner; 91 feet (28 metres) at its highest point, it has 6,500 windows that enclose a volume of 7.2 million cubic feet (204,000 cubic metres) under glass.  One initial experiment addresses key interactions between plants and water.  Within the facility, the researchers will build 3 hill slopes, each about 32 yards (30 metres) long and 22 yards (20 metres) wide, to test how water moves down, into and across the slopes.  "Then we will introduce plants and ask how having life on a landscape changes the behaviour of water, both in the air and in the soil," Huxman said.  "We are interested in how plants modify their environment - how they change the amount of time a water molecule spends in the soil and how that affects the biogeochemical reactions that happen in soil only when it is wet."  The plants, grasses and shrubs, will be typical of the desert, grassland and savannah ecosystems that cover more than 1/2 of Arizona and about 1/3 of the Earth's total land area...
In the 1800s, the property was part of the Samaniego's CDO Ranch.  After several changes of ownership, it became a conference center in the 1960s and 1970s, first for Motorola, then for the UA.  Space Biospheres Ventures bought the property in 1984 and began construction of the current facility in 1986.  Human missions 1 and 2 lasted from 1991 - 1994.  In 1994, Decisions Investments Corporation took over the property and Columbia University managed it from 1996 - 2003.  The property was sold 4 June 2007, to CDO Ranching and Development, LP.
Source: terradaily.com

Tuesday, Nov 16th, Prince of Tucson

Greetings!

Everything was fixed on the Airstream today, even things we only suspected were broken.  It took all morning, but we did get a nice breakfast in at the Waffle House down the street from the Airstream dealer.  And we got to spend some time in a newer 23 foot Bambi selling for $27,500.  Lots more room, double axle, more closet and living room space, but 6,000 pounds.  We like ours still.

The afternoon was spent in separate adventures.  Pat went to cactus nurseries, and I to a aircraft and space museum.  At 4pm, Pat picked me up, and we went to a large mall with a multi-plex theater.  Pizza and salad dinner preceded the movie "Hereafter" which we've just returned from.  Having no cable hookup is a bummer unless you've a huge interest in reading, and when you couple that with a very slow, wireless internet service, it begs for the movies.

Tomorrow, we're either going to the town of Bisby or up to the Biosphere.  We'll decide in the morning.

No photos today.  Though there were some terrific planes at the museum.

Gregory
  

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Monday, Nov 15th, Prince of Tucson RV Park


Greetings!

Just before we left Santa Rosa, I attempted to fix the roof vent on our Airstream.   There is a lever which, when rotated from just above the bed, cranks up one side of the lid.  It lets in fresh air, and through which you can see the stars in the dark Arizona night sky.

That’s if the little plastic wheel on the end of the lever rolls well up a track in a corresponding metal sleeve attached to the lid.   For some reason unknown to me, the plastic ball broke at the end of our last trip. 

My attempt to fix it began by driving around to the various RV parts stores in our area, only to find that the now common replacement lever was attached to a turning arm which was an inch longer than the one my Airstream accommodated (think screw hole placements).  Plan B went into gear, and I found a metal washer the size of the plastic wheel, and I used some pliers to fashion it into place on the end of the lever.

Perfect., except for one small catch.  The larger rectangular lid to the vent pivots on one side (opposite the side where the lever arm lifts the lid) by snapping cuts in the lid into opposite cuts in the Airstream roof.  And there’s no way that you can snap that side into place from inside of the Airstream.  It has to be done from on top of the lid (hanging from a crane so as not to damage the malleable roof?).

I did my best to put it into place, crank the handle tightly shut, and vow never to open it until I could find a RV shop with a crane.  And not tell Pat.

One day into the open road wind, and that night Pat looked up from the bed and remarked, “I’ve never been able to see the stars so clearly before”.   I'm sure that somewhere in the Sierras lies my large plastic vent cover, a hole where the lever arm was attached.  We’ve located an Airstream service shop in Tucson where we’ll be taking it in tomorrow morning to see if they can fix it.  I am really glad that it hasn’t rained since we left.

Here's a link to the three shots I took of Saguaros in a field at Sunset in eastern Tucson (and didn't step on any cactus in the process): Tucson Saguaros.

Gregory